Freddie McGregor reggae show hits Boston

jaymiller

Friday

Jul 13, 2018 at 5:07 AMJul 13, 2018 at 6:23 AM

It's been a long time between Boston appearances from reggae star Freddie McGregor–and it was a long time getting him to the stage Thursday night–but the wait was ultimately well worth it, as the musician/singer/producer delivered a sizzling 90-minute show before about 300 fans at Brighton Music Hall.

McGregor, 62, has somewhere around 40 albums under his name, many on the Big Ship label he founded in 1983. But his music career had been going strong long before that, as his first performances came as a seven-year old member of his hometown trio, The Clarendonians, in his native Clarendon, Jamaica. Later on, McGregor was part of the group Generation Gap. McGregor's debut album was 1979's “Baby Babylon,” and through the years he's worn many hats, such as drummer in the bands of reggae stars like Sugar Minott and Judy Mowatt, and producer for a long litany of popular reggae artists.

More recently, McGregor's 2012 album “Di Captain” featured guest shots from younger stars like Etana, and Gappy Ranks. McGregor was honored with the Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award by the Institute of Caribbean Studies in 2013. McGregor recorded “True to My Roots” in 2016, although last night he was referring to it as if it were just out.

Fans who noted the listed 9 p.m. start time last night and figured it was a cool weeknight option were probably late for work today. Traveling from a gig in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night, the band didn't arrive at the club until almost 8 p.m. The venue didn't let fans in until the band finished setting up its equipment, so that shortly after 9 p.m. there were still roughly 100 fans waiting in line on the sidewalk. It was approximately 9:35 by the time the live musicians started, but it turned out that McGregor's tour is a bit of a showcase for his label, a package tour as it were. So after a couple of other performers did their thing, with the eight-piece Big Ship Band, and after an intermission that lasted almost 30 minutes more, it was 11:13 by the time McGregor hit the stage.

The show was finally friendly and appealing, and satisfied hardcore reggae fans, and surely many of us are familiar with “reggae time,” where delays and late starts are not shocking. But it was almost 12:45 a.m. by the time McGregor finished and fans had been filtering out for the preceding hour, so that his finale probably came in front of half the original number. It may seem trivial, and some travel snafus are unavoidable, but it did make for a bit of a frustrating evening.

McGregor's own set was warm and engaging from the start, and after doing a 14-song regular set, he ended up doing nine encore numbers. The set began with the easy bumping reggae groove of “If You Want To Go,” with McGregor's soulful baritone and joyful manner quickly elevating the crowd's mood. McGregor's skilled crooning ability came to the fore on the good-timey ballad “Rain On Me,” leading easily into the giddy dance-rock of “So Many People.”

The softly rocking reggae lilt of “Stay on the Ocean” evoked a definite island vibe. But with the dual keyboards of the Big Ship Band creating a faux horn section, “Let It Shine” moved the music into classic soul territory, with a big chorus enhanced by the two female backup vocalists. That infectious groove morphed into a sort of medley, as the keyboards-as-kettle-drums brought on the song “I Was Born A Winner,” a surging anthem with real heat.

McGregor made a short tribute to one of his contemporaries, the late Dennis Brown, before doing a couple of Brown's tunes, “Love and Hate,” which came across almost as a reggae psalm, and then the effusive “Live Forever, Love Each Other.” A bit later McGregor really dazzled the throng with a deep soul ballad, which apparently was titled “Tomorrow Together,” but showcased his vocal skills and command of nuance. The uptempo “In the Night” was an impressive arrangement, a syncopated reggae/shuffle at a very brisk pace. The greasy midtempo “Don't Hurt My Feelings” ended the regular set.

McGregor's encores started with the bright pop-soul “I Just Don't Want to be Lonely,” and then moved into the more hard driving, rock-flavored reggae of “If It Takes All Night,” with the keyboards again doing a fine job of mimicking a horn section. The title cut from the most recent album, “True to My Roots” had McGregor spitting out lines in rapid-fire, over a rock-steady groove, with the female backup singers again framing his lead vocals with stellar choruses, and a 1960's type aura permeating the whole thing.

A brief run through “Roots Man Skankin' (Everybody Rockin')” led into a quick rendition of what sounded like “Pink Bobby Sox” with a definite doo-wop flavor. “We Can Make A Star” was more reggae with Memphis soul, but “My Love For You Will Never Die” was a festive reggae march. A new single, “Go Freddie Go,” had him singing autobiographical verses as the female backup duo sang the title line, and the band delivered it with a visceral charge. McGregor suggested his final tune was one the band referred to as “a calorie burner,” and the lightly swirling reggae of “If I Had Wings I'd Fly Away” certainly lived up to that billing, especially when the band ended it by amping the tempo up to warp speed.

Earlier, the opening acts were reasonably impressive. A three song set from singer Nerry, who's in the group Publik Report, showed he is quite the soulful reggae singer himself. Nerry's segment opened with a marvelous reggae version of Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On?” (In fact Publik Report did an album of their own, covering Gaye's classic album, with special guest Freddie McGregor singing the title cut.) Rather unexpectedly, Nerry then did a classic swing and sway soul ballad, “I Need A Roof,” proving that he has some serious and evocative vocal chops. The two female vocalists joined Nerry for the midtempo ballad “Common People” which ended his tasty set.

McGregor's son Chino McGregor blends reggae and hip-hop in his music, and his first all-rap song was simply sung so fast the words were indistinguishable. But when Chino did a more conventional slow ballad, “Let Me Take You,” he displayed an appealing baritone. The midtempo reggae “Zero Tolerance” seemed to be a protest song, although the lines were a bit obscure in the soundmix. A burning reggae anthem to “Clean Up People” worked much better, and the pulsating “I'll be Rich Tomorrow,” which melted into a infectious “Change” with a hot guitar solo, ended Chino's set on a high point.